Category: Legume / Vegetables

Anii trecuti am postat multe retete inainte de Craciun si inainte de Anul Nou. Anul ce tocmai a trecut am revenit dupa o lunga pauza insa am preferat sa imi petrec vacanta alaturi de cei dragi si sa ma concentrez pe un nou capitol al vietii mele. Va doresc un an nou plin de fericire, sanatate si multe realizari, asa cum imi doresc si mie si celor dragi! La multi ani!
La inceput de an vreau sa va propun o reteta simpla si de mare efect-mini ardei umpluti cu branza proaspata si trufe.In the past few years I posted many recipes before Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The year that just passed meant my coming back after a long period of time but I preferred to spend my holidays with my dear ones and to concentrate on a new chapter of my life. I wish you a new year full of happiness, health and many accomplishments, as I wish for myself and my dear ones! Happy New Year!For the start of this year I would like to propose you a simple and interesting recipe-mini peppers with ricotta cheese and truffles.

Am spalat ardeii si i-am copt intr-o tigaie pana cand pielita s-a putut indeparta usor. Apoi am decupat un capac pentru a indeparta semintele din interior. Partea decupata am pastrat-o pentru a monta ardeiul dupa umplerea cu branza.
Pana am preparat crema de branza am tinut ardeii intr-un amestec de 100 ml de apa, 1 lingura de ulei, 1 lingura de otet si sare.
Am copt si gogosarul si l-am curatat de coaja dupa care am folosit pulpa pentru crema de branza. Intr-un vas am pus branza si pulpa gogosarului si le-am mixat cu blenderul. Apoi am adaugat sare si piper. Am umplut mini ardeii si am pus cate o felie de trufa pe fiecare. Pot fi serviti ca atare sau ca parte a unui aperitiv ce cuprinde mai multe feluri.I washed the peppers and I grilled them on a pan until their peel was easy to be taken away. After that I cut out near the stem in order to take out the seeds. I kept the part that was cut in because I wanted to use it after the peppers were filled with cheese.I kept the mini peppers in a mix of 100 ml water, 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and salt until I prepared the cheese filling. I also grilled the sweet pepper and I peeled it and I used the pulp for the cheese filling. In a bowl I put the cheese and sweet pepper’s pulp and I mixed it with the blender. I added salt and pepper in the end. I filled each mini pepper with cheese and I put a slice of truffle on each one. They can be served as they are or as a part of an appetizer.

Se intampla cateodata sa primesc anumite ingrediente pe care nu stiu sa le folosesc. Habar n-am sa le combin, de multe ori nici nu le-am vazut in magazine sau nici nu le-am gustat vreodata. Asta s-a intamplat si cu trufele negre pe care le-am primit de la cineva tare dragut, ca parte a unui cadou deosebit. Asa ca m-am pus e treaba si am studiat cateva retete. Am ales cateva care mi s-au parut deosebite, simple si gustoase.
Una din ele este supa crema de legume cu porumb. Eu am adaugat feliile de trufa. Am avut o idee buna, aroma fiind deosebita.Sometimes it happens to receive different ingredients that I don’t know how to use. I have no idea how to combine them, in most of the times I didn’t even saw them in the store or tasted them. This happened with the black truffles also. I received them from a sweet person, as a part of a wonderful present. So I made some research and I studied few recipes. I chose some of them which seemed exquisite, simple and tasty. One of them is the vegetables and corn cream soup. I added the slices of black truffle and it was a great idea because the flavor is wonderful.

Ingredientele alese pentru supa au reflectat regula generala de a le folosi pe cele care pun in valoare trufa, fara a fi foarte aromate.The ingredients that were chosen for this soup reflected the general rule of using the ones that put the truffle in the light, without being very flavorful.

I do not know if you it missed me and my recipes. I certainly missed my recipes and my readers 🙂
So after I missed exactly a year and a half, I think the time has come to tell and show you what I prepared lately in my kitchen.
Being autumn I thought I should tell you a little about what you can do with the tasty and ripe tomatoes that you can still find everywhere.
I chose several types of tomatoes and I dried them after a simple recipe.

I chose tomatoes that have more pulp and rather than seeds so that after drying to remain something more than the skin.
I cut the tomatoes into large pieces of various shapes. I sat them in the baking trays covered with baking wax paper. After that I put on each piece coarse salt and a drop of olive oil.

In put the trays in the preheated oven at 150 Celsius degrees. If you have oven with ventilation it would be good to use it. If not, just set the oven at a medium temperature and leave the door slightly opened.

My tomatoes were dried after about 5 hours. Drying time depends on you and how dry or moist you would like them to be.

Dried tomatoes are marinated in olive oil with garlic and spices. In stores you can find also dried tomatoes with pine seeds. I put the tomatoes in jars with the pepper berries, garlic and dried oregano. After each layer of tomatoes and spices I put olive oil and I was attentive not to leave any air in the jar. This way the tomatoes will be marinated correctly and the fermentation and mold won’t appear.

Tighten the jars’ lids and place them in a bowl with some paper on bottom. I added water so that it covered little more than half of the jar and sterilized them for 20 minutes since the water began to boil.

I started to write recipes on this blog in 2010.
I gathered here all kinds of recipes: complicated , easier, Romanian or foreign. I tried to keep a balance but soon I realized that the recipes with more special or hard to find ingredients will never be as popular as those cooked like mothers at home. Soon I understood why.
In 2008 , the year when I got married and I have started to cook , I first searched for recipes that my mother and grandmother cooked at home. I found different versions of the same product and I chose either a single recipe, or a combination .
Today young people think it’s much easier to cook any dish with tablet or laptop in front of them, whether it’s traditional recipes or from the kitchens of other countries.
As a blogger I realized that the duck breast with orange sauce or the medium rare beef, kangaroo with wine and sweet potato or salmon with green pepper, or roasted goose are not included in the daily menu of the average family in Romania . You have to be realistic and understand your readers to figure out what they want . Balance is the most important : old – new , original – regular , simple – complicated.On my blog there are recipes that my grandmother cooked when I was little and they are simple and very popular. Probably 80-90% of bloggers have posted about the same recipes on their blogs. So what?To deny my origins , the way as we the Romanians cook, I deny all that has meant something to my family kitchen , I find it unacceptable .
We have in mind the example of Chef Joseph Hadad (and he’s not the only one) in a recent show that evoked recipes cooked in Morocco when he was a child . And no, they were not fusion recipes , French or molecular cuisine. And yet we’re talking about bloggers who cook with passion and not chefs . Especially because of this !
Pardon me if I’m wrong . French, German , Greek, Italian foods are not only light foods, salads and vegetable soups. Romanian cuisine also has healthy food (see the multitude of recipes with vegetables in the south of Romania) , ” calorie bomb ” food type ( recipes from Banat , Transylvania and Moldova) as well as food with a moderate calories content (from all over the country ). And in that case why Romanian cuisine is the Cinderella ?
So, my dear , adopt what you like in other countries’kitchens and not be ashamed to cook Romanian recipes! Don’t allow anyone to offend you by telling you that Romanian food is of poor quality and that Romanians don’t have culinary culture .
Today I thought to present you a typical Romanian recipe which if you’ll receive it in this form ( mainly reinterpreted in the presentation ), you wouldn’t guess that is actually common ciulama of mushrooms (mushrooms stew with white sauce).

Caliti legumele timp de 7-10 minute, pana se inmoaie.Temper the vegetables for 7-10 minutes, until they get soft.

Adaugati apoi ciupercutele, puneti cam 100 de ml de apa si lasati-le la fiert. Amestecati din cand in cand in tigaie. Cand legumele s-au fiert, luati tigaia deoparte si incepeti sa preparati sosul.Then add the mushrooms, put about 100 ml of water and let them boil. Stir from time to time in the pan. When vegetables are cooked, take the pan away and start to prepare the sauce.

Pentru a avea o imagine cat mai buna despre ce inseamna viziunea despre acelasi fel de mancare a mai multor bloggeri romani, puteti sa ii vizitati la urmatoarele adrese:To get a better look at what the vision of the same dish means for several Romanian bloggers, you can visit them at the following addresses:

I didn’t think that I would manage to prepare canning for winter this year. This summer I traveled a lot with business or without. But among suitcases, backpacks and other luggage I managed to put a few jars of jam, pickles and even vegetable stew.

Two weeks ago my mom came with an intriguing recipe: vegetable stew (zacusca) with apples. I was a little reluctant but the end result was unexpected: a perfect vegetable stew, not heavy on the stomach and very aromatic.

We cooked zacusca outside at the wood fire. In a large bowl I put the oil, chopped onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. I tempered the onion until it turn into a nice golden color. Be careful – the onion shouldn’t turn into a brown color because it will be too tempered.

After the peppers and tomatoes are boiled add salt (as much as you want) and put the tempered apples. Mix thoroughly to homogenize the paste. Then let boil until you will reduce the apple juice. If you do zacusca the wood fire you will finish very soon (I cannot give you an estimated time, we made two portions in two weeks and the preparation and cooking time was not the same).

For start we’ll prepare the sauce. Peel the vegetables and cut into small pieces. In a pan heat the oil and add the vegetables. Temper vegetables for 3-4 minutes then add 300 ml of water and salt and let it boil a little. When almost cooked add the broth and pasta peppers. If using tomatoes and chopped red pepper put them with other vegetables.

Nu am mai postat de ceva vreme. Probabil va intrebati daca am parasit blogul. Ei bine, nu. Am inceput sa pregatesc retetele pentru Craciun iar de la 1 decembrie am sa incep sa le public. Nu stiu cate vor fi dar cu siguranta vor fi una si una.
Pentru azi am ales o reteta care poate fi usor adaptata perioadei de post.I have not posted in a while. You might wonder if I left the blog. Well, no. I started to prepare recipes for Christmas and from 1 December I will start to publish them. I do not know how many will be but certainly there will just great recipes.For today I chose a recipe that can be easily adapted to the next period.

Inainte de a pleca in concediu am facut o salata delicioasa la borcan. Reteta o am de la o colega de serviciu. De nevoie eu a trebuit sa fac unele modificari insa am sa va spun ambele variante (si a mea si cea originala).Before leaving on vacation I made a delicious canned salad. I know this recipe from a colleague. I had to make some changes but I’ll tell you both recipes(and mine and the original).

Preparam marinata in care vom opari ardeii si gogosarii. Eu am dublat cantitatile pentru ca mi s-a parut ca sunt insuficiente. Dar…uitasem ca inainte de a pune zeama in borcane se adauga sucul de rosii! Asa ca fie respectati reteta originala (amestecati sucul de rosii cu marinata si puneti in borcan) sau folositi o cantitate dubla de marinata si nu mai puneti suc de rosii. Eu am gustat ambele variante (si de la colega mea), fiecare avand farmecul sau ;).Prepare the marinade in which we will boil peppers for few minutes. I doubled the amount because it seemed to be insufficient. But … I had forgotten that before putting the juice in jars we had to add tomato juice! So either you follow the original recipe (mix tomato juice with leftover marinade and place in jar) or use double quantity of marinade and not put tomato juice. I have tasted both (also my colleagues’), each has its charm;).

Dupa inca 30 de minute am pus si vinetele si frunzele de dafin. Am lasat zacusca sa fiarba linistit amestecand din cand in cand pentru a nu se prinde fundul tuciului.After other 30 minutes I put also the eggplants and bay leaves. I left zacusca to boil slowly and I stirred from time to time in order to prevent the sticking.

Nu stiu daca ma mai incadrez in timp dar trebuie sa va arat ce bunatate a iesit! 🙂After a long time of motivated of absence on my blog here I am just in time to write the last recipe of the month. This recipe was prepared for the challenge of September from All day cooking blog – http://www.alldaycooking.com/2012/09/provocarea-dulce-romanie-august-2012.htmlI do not know if I’m in time but I have to show you what delicious recipe came out! 🙂

Sa va explic…Reteta este atat de simpla incat numai din imagini va puteti da seama ca o lenesa ca mine nu s-a spetit facand-o! :)) Ei, ma stiti ca nu-s genul de om care sa stea prea mult din pretiosul timp liber facand treburi casnice.
Piersicile se taie in cubulete si nu se curata de coaja, respectiv puf (pentru ca ale mele nu au prea avut). Ananasul se curata si se taie, indepartand cotorul care este absolut oribil. Ceapa rosie si cea verde se taie si ele marunt. Se pun toate intr-un vas care se pune la fiert. Vor fierbe in sucul lor, mai ales ca piersicile si ananasul lasa destul de mult daca sunt bine coapte. Dupa vreo 10 minute se adauga zaharul. Amestecati des pentru a nu se prinde de fundul vasului. Cand este fiert chutney nu trebuie sa fie ca un gem ci asa ca-n reclamele de la Uncle Ben’s (am ramas marcata de cand eram mica de ele! ). Sa nu uit-cu 5 minute inainte de a lua vasul de pe foc adaugati curry si amestecati bine. Puneti decat o lingurita de curry pentru ca altfel va fi mult prea picant – condimentele mele sunt aduse din India de sora mea care m-a avertizat prieteneste sa nu gresesc masura ;)!Let me explain … The recipe is so simple that only from the pictures you can tell that a lazy person as me will not make many efforts to cook it! :)) Well, I know that I’m not the kind of girl that spends too much of her precious free time doing housework.Peaches will be cut into cubes and they will not be peeled, or getting rid of fuzz (because mine did not have much). Pineapple will be also peeled and cut, removing the stub which is absolutely horrible. Red and green onions are cut into small pieces. Place all in a vessel and put it to boil. Everything will boil in their juices, especially because peaches and pineapples leave a lot of juice if they are ripe. After about 10 minutes add the sugar. Stir often so that it will not stick to the bottom. When cooked chutney should not be like a jam but so as the sauce from Uncle Ben’s commercials (I was marked by them when I was little!). Do not forget – 5 minutes before taking the pot aside add the curry and mix well. Put a teaspoon of curry otherwise it will be too spicy – my spices are brought from India by my sister who warned me not to mix up the measures ;)!

Chutney poate fi consumat imediat sau poate fi pus in borcane si sterilizat timp de 30 minute in cuptor. Astfel veti avea un bun inlocuitor pentru sosurile din supermarket pe care poate le folositi cand sunteti in graba.Chutney can be served immediately or can be put in jars and sterilized for 30 minutes in the oven. This will be a good substitute for sauces in the supermarkets and you can use them when you’re in a hurry.